CONGRESSMAN JOE MORELLE VOICES OPPOSITION TO TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S CONTIUNED ATTEMPTS TO INCLUDE ILLEGAL CITIZENSHIP QUESTION IN 2020 CENSUS
Trump’s Appeal of New York et al. v. Department of Commerce Threatens to Leave Immigrant Communities Undercounted, Underrepresented and Underfunded.
(Washington, DC) – Congressman Joe Morelle has joined colleagues in the House in sending a letter to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker expressing deep concern regarding the Trump Administration's decision to appeal a recent court ruling issued in New York et al. v. Department of Commerce that removes the citizenship question from the 2020 census.
"The highest court of our land has made it perfectly clear that adding a citizenship question to the census is unlawful and would lead to the intimidation and disenfranchisement of immigrant communities in both New York and across the nation," said Rep. Morelle. "Unfortunately, this President remains unrelenting in his efforts to
spread fear among immigrant and minority populations and appears wholly focused on undermining their participation in the upcoming census. That is why my colleagues and I will continue to stand up and fight back against these attacks on our democratic values and ensure that every person who calls this nation home is counted."
On January 17th, the Department of Justice announced its intent to appeal the ruling in New York et al v. Department of Commerce, which struck down the decision to add a citizenship question the 2020 census.
If included in the 2020 decennial Census, a citizenship questions is widely expected to diminish participation among immigrants which would lead to a significant undercounting of the population, threaten states' fair representation in Congress and the Electoral College, and decrease access to critical federal funding.
As the Census questionnaire is currently set to go to print in June, Rep. Morelle and his colleagues in the House have urged Secretary Ross and Acting Attorney General Whitaker to abandon this appeal and focus on executing a fair and accurate count.
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